Wednesday, September 5, 2012

My Summer Reading List

The kids in our school district had their first day today and I bought a pumpkin latte from Dunkin Doughnuts this morning. Summer is officially over. It's been a busy one for us, filled with fun events like weddings, birthdays, family reunions, a couple weeks at camp (which I as a pregnant woman survived with no air conditioning during some of the hottest and most humid days of the year) and lots of visits with family. I was able to squeeze some reading in during all these adventures and thought as a kick off to the fall I'd share some of my favorite books I enjoyed this summer. Amazon links are attached if you want to find out more or pick up some of these books for yourself!

1. The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex by Sheila Wray Gregoire. The author is one of my favorite marriage bloggers, so when this book came out this spring I bought it for a friend as a wedding shower gift. I of course *had* to read it first to make sure it was good! I can't recommend this book enough if you are a recently married or soon to be married woman. The author writes from a Christian perspective and along with great practical chapters (ex. what to expect on the honeymoon, different "Good girl dares" sprinkled throughout the book, etc.) this book really showed me how vitally important this area of marriage is to husbands. The physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of sex are all covered in this book and left me with a greater appreciation of what it means to be a wife. I'm planning on buying a copy of this for myself for future reference (it would make great Wifey Wednesday material!) and for any other girlfriends who are engaged.

2. The Greener Grass Conspiracy by Stephen Altrogge. I picked this book up at the final sale for our church's book table. My husband told me he wanted it since it addressed finding contentment in life, something that we both struggle with. I really enjoyed Altrogge's sense of humor and his ability to blast through many of the facades we can use in life to find contentment. The chapters are short and have application questions at the end, so this book would be perfect for devotions. It really helped me in my journey to find contentment in what Christ has done for me instead of dwelling on my own circumstances.

3. The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I read this during the two weeks were were away at camp. One of my husband's co-workers had given it to him to borrow and after he read me a few chapters out loud I figured it would be a fun one to finish! There were a few times I laughed out loud while reading this, which doesn't happen often when I'm reading (or watching TV for that matter!) Adams has a fantastic writing style and I really didn't want to put the book down when I had to, even though I'm not a huge science fiction fan. That being said, I'm sure my husband would enjoy this book more because some of it went over my head (it is British humor and science, after all!) but it was a fun read nonetheless.

4. Fearless by Eric Blehm. I found this at the new release shelf in the library and finished it yesterday. It's a biography of Adam Brown, Navy Seal Team Six operator. I also really enjoyed this author's writing style and the way he weaved together Brown's life story, covering his childhood all the way until his death during a mission on his last deployment. Most interesting and heart wrenching for me was the glimpse into his family life and the love he had for his wife and two small children. Blehm also it very clear how much Brown's faith motivated him in his life and work, especially his hope in Christ's resurrection. It was a really good read and made me appreciate our military and their families that much more.

That's the summer reading list. What am I reading now, you ask? On the nights when I can't sleep (either because the baby in my uterus is partying, my hormones are raging or I am freaking out about taking care of two small children in the very near future) I crack open Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief by Bruce Milne. It was one of my husband's theology books he studied in school. It's academic, but not to the point where I don't understand what's going on and I always feel a sense of worship towards God and peace when I'm done reading a few sections.

I'm hoping to blog a bit more regularly this fall before the baby comes, but in the midst of freezing meals, possibly making another effort to potty train my daughter and getting everything set up for baby, some things may fall through the cracks. Nevertheless, I will shoot for one post a week. As hectic as my life is, I can't go long with reading or writing in some way, shape or form!